“Human” is more specific than “animal,” yet more general than the particular individual Zayd. Zayd is one individual; “human” applies to him and many others.
The ordered comparison is:
Animal — more general than human.
Human — more specific than animal, but wider than Zayd.
Zayd — a specified individual.
Our main classification still concerns two universals. Zayd is introduced to illustrate the relativity of the words general and specific, preparing for the technical term “relative particular.”
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Four Relations Between Universals and Relative Particularity
“Human” is more specific than “animal,” yet more general than the particular individual Zayd. Zayd is one individual; “human” applies to him and many others.
The ordered comparison is:
Animal — more general than human.
Human — more specific than animal, but wider than Zayd.
Zayd — a specified individual.
Our main classification still concerns two universals. Zayd is introduced to illustrate the relativity of the words general and specific, preparing for the technical term “relative particular.”